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Ultimates 3 - Thumbs Down

I absolutely loved Ultimates and Ultimates 2, and even though I'd heard bad things I still had faith in Ultimates 3, so much so that I bought the hardcover version of it last week. Well, my faith was destroyed when I got round to reading it yesterday. OK, so maybe destroyed is a bit harsh because the artwork was pretty damn good. The story however, well, it was over-complicated and seemed to pay no attention to wha had gone in the previous instalments. Jeph Loeb took over from Mark Millar as the writer and it shows, big time.

Luckily Mark Millar is back on board for the next stage which is Ultimate Avengers - looking forward to it already!

3 Weeks till F1 2009

In just 3 short weeks qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix will be over and we'll know who is kicking off the 2009 season in pole position.

I will of course be supporting Lewis Hamilton but I also want Kubica and Alonso to do well. It could be a very open season with the opportunity for a lot of drivers to score points.

It will also be interesting to see what difference KERS will make.

The latest good news is that team formerly known as Honda has been bought by Ross Brawn and we have Brawn GP, so we are back to 10 teams and 20 drivers again.

Tarzan gone from DLRP

The Tarzan Encounter is gone from The Chaparral Theater in Disneyland Resort Paris, after nine years of almost 5 shows a day. This is particularly upsetting for wifey and I as this was our favourite show in the park. At least we have the memories. There is no word yet on whether a replacement is planned or not.

EDIT: Sunday 8th March - Tarzan is returning this summer, but only for July and August. If it is back next summer then we may be tempted to wait and go in July rather than May as planned - such is the quality of the show that we wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to see it again.

Do Us A Flavour

Do Us A Flavour - the latest marketing drive by Walkers Crisps where we, the general public, get to choose from 6 flavours and vote on which one we'd like to become part of the normal range. The 6 flavours are:

Chilli & Chocolate
Onion Bhaji
Cajun Squirrel
Fish & Chips
Crispy Duck & Hoi Sin
Builder's Breakfast

I managed to find Onion Bhaji, Cajun Squirrel, Fish & Chips and Builder's Breakfast yesterday, while wifey managed to get a pack of Crispy Duck & Hoi Sin. Neither of us is really interested in Chilli & Chocolate but we try it for completeness sake. We tried the Fish & Chips and Crispy Duck & Hoi Sin last night and neither did a great deal for us! The flavours were pretty weak and I can't imagine choosing either of them over old favourites like Prawn Cocktail and Cheese & Onion. Maybe the other flavours will be better, but I have my doubts. God only knows what the Cajun Squirrel will involve, wifey refuses to try that one!

Podcasts

If you read back a few posts you'll see me talking about my new phone, the Nokia 5800. I've since discovered that it's awfully good for podcasts, and I now subscribe to quite a few and listen to them in the car to and from work as the phone's speaker is loud enough to use in the car, even on the M25!

My favourite podcast so far is the Stuff.TV podcast which is a geeky/techy podcast about mobile phones, televisions, MP3 players, gadgets and 'stuff'! The subject matter is right up my street and the presenters are pretty fab too. They also gave my new phone a glowing report so extra marks there!

Others I subscribe to are:

Chris Moyles - low brow humour at it's very best and I miss the morning shows now I listen to podcasts instead. Is there some irony there somewhere?

F1 Weekly - only listened to one show so far and it was ok, though being American based the bias was towards their quest to get a Grand Prix in America rather than the upcoming season. May try to find a suitable replacement.

Jonathan Ross - probably the funniest guy on radio and good to have him back. Always has a procession of great guests with whom he engages in lots of witty banter.

Guardian Tech Weekly - more technical musings with lots of web talk and as an eCommerce bod it's most interesting from a professional and personal standpoint.

I also have Stephen Fry and Mark Kermode's podcasts set up to listen to and am always open to some recommendations of podcasts I should listen to. Two that i didn't particularly like are the Adam & Joe and George Lamb podcasts - just didn't click with me. I also tried the Geek Squad podcast but they guy waffled on for so long about not a lot that I decided my life could be better spent on other things and turned it off.

Brits Breakthrough Act

This year's 'as vote for by Radio One' listeners Breakthrough Act is one of the following five:

Adele - I can't stand her! While I do concede that she has a voice, I find her to be one of the most instantly unlikable people I have ever come across, that I haven't actually met! The sound of one of her songs playing will see me switch stations.

The Last Shadow Puppets - no idea! Maybe I'd recognise their songs if I heard them but as if right now they are not on my radar.

Duffy - really great songs with a fantastic & unique voice. An album I have been meaning to get for a while now.

Scouting For Girls - I have liked every one if their songs that they have released and really should get their album too. Fun lyrics and catchy bouncy tunes, thumbs up.

The Ting Tings - I heard their debut single before they became widely known but couldn't remember what they were called so was unsuccessful in tracking them down. Of course it didn't take long for them to become known by all and Not My Name went on to be one of the songs of 2008. The 2nd single was just as catchy and there is more to this band than meets the eye. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but this is another album I really need to get?

So, 1 I don't like, 1 I don't know and three I really like, who gets my vote? The Tiny Tings - closely edging out Duffy as the band I'd like to hear more of and whose songs I know I like to hear the most.

Au Revoir Buffalo Trading Co.

As detailed in a previous blog post (linkage), the Buffalo Trading Co. in Disney Village, Disneyland Resort Paris was due to shut down and be replaced by a Starbucks. Well the first part of that process has happened and this Disneyland Resort Paris addict is gutted :( Gone is the shop with the most individuality and character, now we await the souless presence of a multi-national coffee shop, oh joy.

New Phone: Nokia 5800

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to give it it's full and proper name! I picked it up today after ordering it yesterday, on a whim really! I have had a Sony Ericsson K850i for the last year, which despite almost universally bad reports, has served me pretty well. That is until recently when it has decided to turn itself at random, usually when I making a call or writing a text! Having already been to the repair shop once I decided now was the time to admit it has had it's day and move on.

As an iPod Touch user I have been tempted by the iPhone but the lack of video recording and MMS is a big letdown - I have an 8 month old son those features are pretty essential to me. What I do like is the touch screen functionality so have been looking at the Samsung Pixon and Omnia, as well as the LG Renoir - all had their good and bad points but none stood out as a must have and all were on fairly pricey contracts, something I wanted to avoid as I currently use only a small portion of my call allowance.

A quick scan of Avforums drew my attention to the Nokia 5800 and the Carphone Warehouse offer of £15 a month for 100 minutes and unlimited texts. I never thought the day would come when I would be more of a texter than a caller, but it has so this deal seemed perfect for my needs. Add £7.50 for the unlimited web bolt-on and he whole package would be £12.50 less than my current contract and a swanky new phone as well - sold!

It has Wi-Fi, a 3.2" widescreen display, full touchscreen functionality, 8Gb memory card included and all the other bells and whistles I was looking for. I've not used a great deal yet but so far I am very impressed. The touchscreen is very responsive and texting is very easy which is usually the biggest test for a touchscreen phone. Next will be connecting it to my laptop and adding a bunch of songs and pictures, and configuring the phone to pick up my wireless network.

So far so good for Nokia's first foray into touchscreen phones, which for the market leader in mobile phones, some may say they are playing catch-up?

Paddington sold out?

When I was little I had Paddington Bear everything; Pyjamas, Duvet Cover, Curtains, lampshade and even a Paddington Bear bin! Now one of the things Paddington was most known for was his love of marmalade sandwiches. You with me so far? Imagine my shock when I see our beloved Paddington Bear advertising a sandwich filling on TV that isn't marmalade!

Paddington Bear now has Marmite in his sandwiches!!!

Has the credit crunch hit Paddington that much that he sold his soul to the other side? Is it not enough that Opal Fruits and Marathons no longer exist but now Paddington doesn't eat marmalade sandwiches?

*sigh*